396 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



The past winter was, for certain reasons, very 

 hard on bees in this locality, whether they 

 were in cellars or outdoors; and at present some 

 of the strongest colonies that I have are in 

 eight-frame Dovetailed hives; and I have col- 

 onies in hives of many shapes, styles, and sizes — 

 many more than I shall next year, if the pres- 

 ent season proves a good one. 



There has been considerable comment in the 

 past year or two in regard to the best style of 

 frame. I use and prefer the Hoffman. It is 

 not perfect, by any means; but I have tried in 

 a small way nearly every thing in the shape of 

 a frame that has been offered in the last few 

 years, and for the rapid handling of bees the 

 Hoffman is ahead of any thing I have tried yet. 

 Still, there are many who do not like them. In 

 talking with a bee-keeper last winter he said 

 he considered them a great nuisance, as it was 

 so much work to dig the first one out. He was 

 using the ten-frame hive, and there was no 

 room in it for a follower-board. I do not use 

 the Hoffman in ten-frame hives, but I can well 

 understand that, without the extra space and 

 follower-board, as there is in the eight-frame 

 hive, they would be a nuisance. In my opinion 

 the ten-frame hive should be made wider, and 

 the extra space in the supers could be filled 

 with a board. But you have made an improve- 

 ment in narrowing the ends of the top-bars, 

 and in having the metal rabbets project up 

 behind the ends of them. Most of those I have, 

 the frames are the same width at the ends, and 

 the metal rabbets do not come up back of them, 

 and I have more trouble with propolis being 

 stuck on and between the ends of them and the 

 hive than I do on the V'd edges; but the way 

 you are making them will, I think, nearly if 

 not quite overcome this; still, the way mine 

 are, I can handle them much faster than I can 

 loose hanging frames, or frames that are hung 

 on metal rabbets and spacers combined; for 

 with the latter we have not the lateral motion 

 so necessary for the rapid handling of frames. 

 The former have it, but you can not use it with 

 two or more frames combined, as you can the 

 Hoffman, on account of smashing bees, and 

 occasionally a queen also. 



Southern, Minn., May G. 



[This I consider to be one of the strongest 

 and best articles we have ever received, and I 

 think most of our readers, after perusing this 

 carefully, will be convinced that the eight- 

 frame hive is and should be kept the standard. 

 Mr. Davenport is a very large and extensive 

 bee-keeper, and his statements can be taken as 

 in some degree authoritative. 



Regarding the Hoffman frames. I might say 

 that the article on that subject in the editorials 

 was written before the above came to hand. 

 But it can be seen how nearly Mr. Davenport 

 agrees with what I have said regarding the 

 rapidity with which Hoffman frames may be 

 handled. It is indeed true, that, to handle such 

 frames properly, it is necessary to have a re- 

 movable follower-board. The ten-frame hive 

 ought to have been a little wider; but as it was 

 standard in width as we send it out, we could 



not very well change it; and we did not at the 

 time, and do not now, think that such size of 

 hive will ever be universally adopted. 



I believe we have the Hoffman frame down 

 now where it will not have to be changed or 

 improved. The narrowing -up of the ends, 

 while it facilitates the handling of the frames 

 themselves, does away with a great deal of the 

 propolis attachment at the ends. I find that, 

 as friend Davenport says, the Hoffnians are 

 held more by propolis attachments at the ends 

 than by the uprights along the V edges; but 

 having narrowed up this end, that sticking pro- 

 pensity is reduced to a minimum. 



It is true, the Hoffman frames are not per- 

 fect, but neither is any other good thing per- 

 fect; but I believe it comes the nearest to filling 

 the bill for a general all-around brood-frame; 

 and the great beauty of it is, it i-s everybody's 

 property. All can make and use it.— Jio.] 



HOW THE BEES WINTERED AT DR. MILLER'S. 



THE NECESSITY OP A BEE-FLTGHT BEFORE 

 PUTTING INTO THE CELLAR. 



By Emma Wilson. 



Last fall the exceedingly good weather during 

 the month of October fooled us into leaving our 

 bees at the out-apiaries so long that we were 

 caught napping at last. The weather suddenly 

 turned very cold, and the bees did not have an 

 opportunity for a good fly before they were put 

 into the cellar. October 31st the first two loads 

 from the Wilson apiary were brought home. 

 Nov. 1st all were brought home from the Has- 

 tings apiary. Nov. 2d being a warm day, all 

 these bees had a tolerably good fly. The last 

 two loads of bees were brought home from the 

 Wilson apiary Nov. 3d. Nov. 5th these last 

 bees were flying, with the thermometer at 40°, 

 while the other bees remained quiet in their 

 hives. Nov. 20th the bees were put into the 

 cellar. They had been through two very hard 

 freezes, with the thermometer at 7 to 10° above 

 zero, with 2i.< inches of snow on the ground. We 

 disliked putting them into the cellar without a 

 good fly, but did not dare to leave them out any 

 longer. If we could have foreseen the future it 

 would have been better to leave them out until 

 Dec. 21st, as that was a nice warm day. And it 

 would have paid us well if we had carried them 

 out for a fly on that day and then carried them 

 back again. 



About Jan. 10th the house cellar commenced 

 to smell bad, and two of the strongest colonies 

 were pretty badly daubed. 



March 18th was a nice day; and as many of 

 the colonies were in such bad condition we con- 

 cluded to take them out for a fly. even if we had 

 to carry them all back again. There were 110 

 colonies put into the house cellar. Of these, 94 

 came out alive and 16 were dead, and 31 more 

 colonies have died since taking out. The house 

 cellar contained the Wilson and Hastings bees. 

 All of the Hastings bees came out alive, and 100 

 per cent of them are alive at the time of writ- 

 ing. Those that died from the Wilson apiary, 



